Driver's Ed. Education slip over and give the gas a good hearty boot.

Don’t fluff it…

A Series of Specifics for Success WING IT!
by John Hajny Second, it is very helpful to be on the brakes hard enough
Central NY Region Editor, Zone 1 Instructor that the pedals are close to the same level. This makes it hard to
learn on the street because one seldom if ever reaches the kind of
#18 - Heel & Toe – A Shift in Time! speeds necessary to generate that kind of braking. As a result,
many people are tempted to play with the pedal height
You’ve all heard of it. All the hot shoes do it. You’ll adjustments, but I would suggest you not do so, as the stock
have to learn it eventually if you want to be a really swift heights are very well chosen for track use. Under full
and skilled driver. Those who can’t Heel & Toe must compression, you always want the brake higher by at least half an
brake to the desired speed, then do their downshift, then inch than the gas. For instructional purposes, you might attach a
turn in, or simply choose a gear and let the clutch out while small block to the gas pedal to bring it closer to brake height. This
braking. The former takes a long time because each could easily be removed when you’ve got it down to a science,
operation is performed separately. The latter is hard on the and would greatly assist you in learning how to Heel & Toe on
driveline. The idea behind optimized corner setup is to the street. Incidentally, the track is NOT the place to learn it, as
accomplish both braking to cornering speed and you’ve got a bit much to think about at a 100+ mph to try
downshifting to the proper gear simultaneously, thereby something new and tricky!
shortening the distance needed for these tasks. Pretty Now, the actual
ingenious, and simple in theory. Yet, there is so much positioning of the feet is
mystery surrounding it that it warrants close scrutiny. Let’s not difficult per se, but
start by clearing up the misnomer. crucial. Some cars are
The term Heel & Toe comes from a distant time when better configured for this
car companies had varying ideas on many topics, including purpose than others. 911s
what would be a standard pedal placement. There was also can be tricky because of
different equipment in those days. In general the phrase the pedals being a little
stems from many cars having their throttle between the right of the driver
clutch pedal on the left and the brake on the right. The centerline, and because
pedals were arranged thusly to facilitate stepping on the they pivot off the floor
brake while also engaging the starter, which was often a instead of hanging from
button or lever on the floor to the right of the brake pedal! under the dash. 944 pedals
Some slick dude figured out he could brake and match revs are pretty well situated,
(or double-declutch for those old crash boxes) at the same but are not perfect. They
time. Heel on the central gas pedal, Toe on the brake, the are slightly too wide apart
right foot tipped top-to-the-right in a very natural position. for lightening quick no-
Even now that our pedals are conventionally located brainer shifting. Many
as they are, there are still people that learn it the “old way” people are tempted to add
in terms of foot position; with the top of their foot out to all kinds of crazy things
the right; but Heel on the brake, Toe on the gas. I do not like wings, extensions, or
recommend this at all, because the heel will never have the other home made or store
braking sensitivity to allow for variations in braking bought contraptions to the
traction and the minute and instantaneous adjustments that existing pedals. I suggest you refrain from using these, as they
this calls for. Modulation of the pedal is accomplished far often bring about unintended and unforeseen consequences. If
more easily and accurately with the articulated ankle than anything, simply get a piece of 3/16 th aluminum and make a cover
by lifting the entire leg. That is my opinion, and I stand by for the brake pedal that is the same shape, but slightly wider. Bolt
it! Now let’s get into some of the difficulties before we it to the surface and you’re on your way!
cover the sequence of events. Now, the idea is for the ball of your right foot to be on the brake
First, let’s dispel another myth. You are not trying to pedal. If you are wearing a proper thin-soled rubber shoe, you can
literally “match revs.” To sit there and try to exactly match even “hook” the ball of the foot on the edge of the pedal. You
the engine speed with the driveline takes far too much should have plenty of surface area to work with, and lots of feel.
time, and more importantly, concentration. The idea is to When you have slowed to the proper speed and it comes time to
reduce the length of time in the braking zone, and trying to blip the throttle, you simply roll your foot over to engage the gas
get a perfect match is just wasting too much time. You are pedal. Again, it helps to be on the brakes hard so the pedals are
merely getting the engine revs up in the neighborhood of close to the same height. Also, remember not to pussy-foot the
the driveline speed, and ideally slightly higher. Instead of thing. Give it a good boot and try to raise the engine revs slightly
gradually bringing the revs up to a perfect spot, you simply higher than the driveline RPM. This is the easy part.

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 The real trick is in the timing. You have four functions
that will be undertaken. 1) The ball of your right foot is
stepping on the brakes hard as you slow for the impending
corner. The right edge of that foot lurking over the throttle,
2) ready for the blip. 3) Your left foot will be moving to
the clutch. 4) Your right hand will move to the shifter in
due course. #1 is the only portion that is continuous. The
others are not implemented until they are called for, and
quite importantly; are then done simultaneously. A
fraction-of-a-second after you quickly depress the clutch,
your right foot rolls over and boots the throttle as your
right hand selects the proper gear. Immediately after the
gear is selected, the clutch is released and the corner is
engaged in earnest.
If you’ve fouled up the timing, you’ll know soon
enough; the graunch of gears or the lurch of improper revs
telling you it didn’t quite come together. Don’t try to do it
too quickly at first. Concentrate more on the timing, as it is
the most crucial ingredient in the mix. Remember,
declutch, then immediately blip and shift simultaneously,
then immediately release the clutch.
Incidentally, for those students and their instructors
who are experiencing drama and angst regarding the task
of downshifting for a corner… Don’t! Most any car you’d
care to drive on the track will make it around at a decent
pace in 3rd or 4th gear. Sure, this may be a little slow, not as
viscerally satisfying, and you may find a few spots on the
track where you can’t seem to get out of your own way.
Don’t worry about it! This is about learning, remember? If
shifting problems are getting in the way of your learning
how to drive well, eliminate the problem for a while and
just stay in a median gear.
They say A Shift in Time Saves Nine. I don’t know
what that phrase means in the larger scheme of things, but I
know in terms of performance driving, it means a good
corner setup, and a real savings to your equipment!

All Text and Graphics herein are

Copyrighted (C) 1995-2003
by John L. Hajny
I have striven to make this an extremely well
written and accurate series on a subject that
is not to be taken lightly and can obviously
be dangerous. To maintain the accuracy and
proper presentation of that message, I would
ask that absolutely no use whatsoever of any
text herein be made without my
express written consent.
I ask you to please abide by this request.
Thank you.